European Union foreign ministers have approved a new civil-military mission to strengthen Lebanon's security forces, as the long-running United Nations peacekeeping force in the country prepares to withdraw. The decision was taken on Monday, 12 October 2026, at a meeting in Luxembourg.

The mission, known as the EU Support Mission in Lebanon (EUSM), will have about 150 personnel and an initial three-year mandate. Its military strand will help the Lebanese army with border surveillance, intelligence and efforts against smuggling. The civil strand will train internal security forces, including in cybercrime and port security, and will support better security governance at the Port of Beirut, where some 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in August 2020. French reports say the mission could be operational within two months, while German reporting says deployment is expected to begin in 2027. Germany, which has about 300 troops in the UN force, is reportedly set to take part, though details are unclear.

The new mission is separate from, and will not replace, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978, UNIFIL still has about 7,500 peacekeepers. The UN Security Council decided in August 2025 to end its mandate, a step Israel and the United States had pushed for, and it expires on 31 December. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot welcomed the decision, and Beirut sees the mission as a way to reinforce state authority and its monopoly on arms. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the aim is greater stability. European governments, with Italy and France at the forefront, hope an international presence will remain after the UN force leaves to avoid a security vacuum. According to Kallas, talks are under way with Lebanon and the United States on a legal framework for a possible future multinational force.

The context is difficult. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group and political movement, refuses to give up its weapons across the country. Lebanon's government declared a first disarmament phase in the south complete earlier this year, but Hezbollah rejects further steps. A 26 June agreement between Israel and Lebanon provides for a ceasefire and Hezbollah's disarmament, but Hezbollah did not endorse it. Israel continues strikes despite the truce and, according to taz, occupies more than 55 villages in the south, saying it will withdraw only once Hezbollah is disarmed.

Whether the mission can succeed is uncertain. Many people in southern Lebanon see Hezbollah as their only defence against Israeli attacks, while the army has outdated equipment and soldiers on salaries so eroded by the country's financial collapse that some take second jobs. Weapons still reach Lebanon via Iraq and Syria despite the Syrian government's stated opposition to smuggling. On Monday, the Lebanese army reported seizing 200 kilograms of explosives, including TNT and C4, near the Syrian border in the northern Bekaa Valley.